One More Try
by Betty BOKOR
Summary: SamDaniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.
1. Chapter 1

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 1**

The last few days had been trying for Sam. The pain of losing Orlin, once again, had reawakened the ache for everyone she had lost in the previous nine years. Losing Orlin had been different this time. All the feelings that Orlin had provoked in her the first time around had rapidly transformed into some kind of maternal instinct when faced with his new embodiment. If any good had come from the events of the last two weeks, the best part had been finishing the weapon that could help them battle the Ori. Actually, almost the best. When she thought about it, it was what Daniel had done that had given her the comfort she so desperately needed in her heart.

She stopped working for a few minutes to meditate on it. After days of concentrating on the weapon and the renewed presence of Orlin in her life, she had paid attention to Daniel for the first time in a long while that day when Dr. Lam had explained that the young boy probably would not survive the night. Sam had been devastated and unable to come up with anything that could help him. That was when Daniel had requested that Dr. Lam give Orlin some medication that would enable him to talk with them. The physician had objected, but Daniel had remained adamant and she had finally agreed. After the patient had awakened, Daniel had sat in front of him and quietly talked in the Ancient language for a long while. Suddenly, the room had filled with light and both figures, Daniel and Orlin, had momentarily disappeared from the view of all of the spectators in the observation room. Seconds later, the light had divided in two, part of it going upward and part of it remaining in the middle of the room. In a moment, Daniel had been visible again, all light gone, and had collapsed unconscious on the floor.

Sam's heart hurt remembering that second when she had thought that Daniel was gone. However, she tried not to dwell on those feelings and rejoiced that, after the ordeal, he had been all right. He had explained that he had merely helped Orlin _remember_ how to ascend because he was sure the Others were not going to help him. Sam believed that there was more to it, especially since Daniel had been able to guide her in finishing the weapon against the Ori, something she had not really revealed to anyone.

She decided it was time to leave the Mountain and go home to get ready. After all, Daniel had asked her to have dinner with him at his house that night because he had something "very serious" to talk about. She wondered what it could be, but decided it would be better to wait and see.

A few minutes after 8:00, she knocked at his door. He had cooked a delicious dinner and bought some wonderful strawberries covered with chocolate for dessert. The conversation had been light all night, light in their terms anyway, because probably the rest of the mere mortals of this planet (and many others) could not have understood many of the topics they discussed together. When dinner was finished and they had put away the dishes, Daniel served some hot coffee and they sat on the sofa to talk again. This time Daniel's face was very serious and Sam felt apprehension beginning to grab her heart.

"I wanted to see you tonight, Sam, because there's something very important that I need you to know. I already talked about it with Jack, last Saturday, when he came for that ceremony at the Base, and I also told Teal'c, and Cameron… and General Landry… Wow, it gets harder by the minute…"

"Come on, Daniel. What is it? Why can't you tell me? It looks like you have already told everybody else," Sam said, with a little bit of disappointment in her voice.

"I don't know why it's harder to tell you. You're as much a part of my family as Jack and Teal'c. It's just…"

"Thank you", interrupted Sam. "I also feel that you're my family, Daniel."

"All right then… Sam… I'm… I'm dying… I…"

"What! What did you say?" yelled Sam.

"Sam, listen to me, please." He looked at her and saw her eyes full of tears and knew immediately why it was so difficult to tell her this. "I have a tumor, in my brain. They cannot remove it surgically and it keeps growing, so…"

"That's not possible," said Sam, more to try and convince herself than because she actually believed it. "There must be something that can be done."

"Sam, before burdening all of you with this, I explored all the possibilities. You know me, Sam. I wouldn't be here telling you this if there were any chance of fixing it. Dr. Lam believes it's a consequence of what I did for Orlin, and she's probably right, but…"

Sam could not control herself any longer and started sobbing quietly. Daniel moved near her and embraced her softly. She put her head on his shoulder and kept crying.

"I'm so sorry, Sam, that I'm the cause of your pain. I wish there was something I could do or say to help you."

Sam straightened suddenly and looked at him surprised. "_You_ want to help _me_, Daniel? For goodness sake! I should be trying to help you! It's not your fault that you're sick! It's not your fault that I'm crying! It's just that… I just can't bear the idea of losing you again." Her eyes filled with tears one more time and Daniel hugged her again. They remained that way for a while, Sam crying softly on his shoulder and Daniel quietly stroking her short hair.

Then, as if lightening had struck her, Sam sat up straight, looked at Daniel in the eyes and asked, "You're going to ascend, right, and then come back to us?"

Daniel lowered his eyes and said softly, "No, Sam, not this time."

"Why? Why not? Don't tell me it's because Oma is busy with Anubis. I know you can do it without help. The last time you descended on your own; I'm sure the Others did not pay any attention to you, if they are as you told me. And you didn't lose your memory this time. So, that means that you could ascend and if you don't, it's just because you don't want to!" Sam finished almost shouting.

"It's true, Sam," he said sadly. "Everything you said is true. I just couldn't let anyone else know. They would have taken me who knows where."

"But why don't you want to come back to us?"

"It's not that I don't want to come back, I just… I don't really want to die; I simply want to let go. I am so tired, Sam…" Her eyes kept staring at him without comprehending, so he went on. "Not physically; it's different. I can feel I'm dying… I have died so many times before… and I don't want to fight it anymore. I know that I didn't find happiness when I was ascended, and I can't keep playing this game of coming back to my _new _old body every time things go wrong. I want to just let go, cross the bridge, follow the light and be done with it."

She could not stop looking at him. She could not believe- no, she could not _understand_ what he was saying. That was so selfish; he was not thinking of all the others that would have to stay and mourn his absence. He was not thinking of all the pain he was going to cause them, that he was going to cause her. She had to make him understand.

"Listen to me, Daniel. You can't do this. You have to fight this. Ascend, descend, whatever it takes."

"Sam…"

"No, no, listen to me. You can't leave us again, you can't die, you can't leave me…" Her sobs interrupted her and seconds later she was once more in Daniel's arms. She clung tightly to him, as if he were going to die right then. "The first time I thought you were dead, when Nem took you, I felt so much pain… and I had only known you for such a short time… But you had already become part of my family; you were my friend, my brother. When you ascended after Kelowna, I couldn't get over it. No matter what everybody said, I kept going back to that moment, trying to think what could have been done to prevent you from getting hurt. I understood why you chose to ascend. It was that or dying, because there was no way that you'd accept coming back to a mangled body, which is the only thing that my father could have given you if he had kept using the healing device. I understood, but I couldn't get over it. This last time, the only thing that kept me going was the uncertainty. As long as I didn't know for sure, you could be alive, somewhere safe, far from the malignant creature that I allowed to escape."

"Sam, that wasn't your fault."

"She wouldn't have killed you if I had stopped her in the first place."

"Sam, let's not talk about that. She's gone. I don't want you to suffer because of me. I think that our biggest problem is that all these years we've been saving the world over and over again and we have completely forgotten about ourselves. We don't have a life outside the SGC. We don't have our own families." He softly put his hands on her shoulders and moved her slightly away from him before adding, "I think you have to forget about me and concentrate on Jack. He's not exactly in the same chain of command as you anymore. Why don't you two stop playing games and face what you feel and make a life for yourselves?"

Sam looked at him, surprised.

"Come on, Sam. Everybody knows. That's why you broke up with Pete. If you want to know the truth, I was happy when you found Pete; I thought you were going to have some semblance of a normal life with him. Now you can do it with Jack. You have already proven that you would be willing to leave the SGC when you did it for Cassie. You probably wouldn't have seen me for a very long time if I had gone to Atlantis, and that didn't hurt you. You had other, more important things on your mind. Think of that."

Sam was trying to process all that Daniel had been saying so fast. Jack? What did he mean, _'everybody knew?'_

"Sam, you're braver that Jack about this sort of things. You almost told him the day your father got sick. If Agent Johnson hadn't been there…"

"Daniel, stop. Jack told you that about the barbecue day? That was what he thought?" Daniel nodded. "Well, that's not exactly what I was going to tell him. Oh, goodness… I haven't confided much in you lately, have I? What a best friend I've been! Preoccupied solely with myself and my little pathetic life. I didn't talk to you much about Pete, did I? It sort of made me feel uncomfortable to discuss that with you; I don't know why, but I told Jack… Do you think I was trying to make him react, say something, show jealousy? Anyway, it's time to make up for my lack of trust."

Daniel tried to protest, but Sam made a gesture and continued. "That day I wanted to talk with him about Pete, about why I had felt that it was wrong to go ahead with the marriage. I've felt this strange attraction to Jack for the longest time. We've been playing a game. He flirts, I react. He flirts again, I keep it going…eHe That day, after I left Pete, and I really acted like a spoiled brat, complaining about him not been as devastated as I thought he ought to be, I sat down and, for the first time, I thought seriously about Jack. I tried to imagine us together. I even thought of how he'd make me feel in bed, but I always ended up imagining how he would summarily dismiss any half-intelligent comment I tried to make about what happened during the day or at work. I'm not saying that he's not intelligent, because we both know his dumbness is a charade. I simply envisioned countless weekends eating pizza on the sofa, drinking beer, and watching hockey, or worse, fishing in an empty pond in Minnesota. I couldn't imagine us doing any of those things you and I do together, you know, like when we go to a concert or we spend an afternoon discussing the movie we just watched." She was not looking at him anymore; it looked like she was putting her thoughts in order as she talked. "I think he still loves Sara; and I also think that we could never have a stable, lasting relationship." She looked straight into his eyes then. "That's all I wanted to tell him. I wanted to stop the game. Now, he's in Washington and I don't have to worry about it anymore." Sam finished.

Daniel was surprised, but he understood completely what she was saying. He had been ready to support her relationship with Jack if it made her happy, even though it kind of bothered him at some level he could not really understand, but now that problem had been solved. He was still thinking about how he was going to help her be happy when Sam started crying one more time.

"Oh, I did it again. I got so self-involved in my own drama that I forgot why we're here tonight."

"We'll think of something, Sam. You need to stop crying and think of all the things you have going for yourself. Think about Cassie, of how she needs you now more than ever. Believe that you'll find someone special and maybe even have a child." He lifted her chin to make her look at him. "Wouldn't you like that? To have a baby and prove that even after all we've seen, we have hope enough in this world to bring another life to it? All these years I've been thinking that it was better that Sha're and I didn't have children –can you imagine how much they could have suffered?– but it's the biggest regret I have about my life… That I never knew the joy of having a child. There mustn't be anything else like that, don't you think?"

Sam was dizzy from the way Daniel's brain was jumping from one thing to another and, at the same time, her own was spawning ideas that she had never contemplated before. Daniel was talking again.

"I don't want you to go home alone and keep crying, so I'm going to prepare my bedroom for you and I'm going to sleep here on the sofa." He stood up and started leading her to the master bedroom. "My guest room is a mess, full of books and papers everywhere; you know I never have any guests. You'll be fine here. Use the restroom if you need. You can wear one of my pajamas to sleep in, just a little big…" He added while he took the clothes out of a drawer.

Sam stopped on her way to the bathroom and said, "Would you stay with me, you know, just by my side, like if we were on a mission. I want to be near you tonight."

Daniel looked at her and could not resist when he saw the sadness in her eyes. "All right. I'll use the other bathroom to get ready and I'll come back. Okay?"

She nodded and he left. A few minutes later, he came back and got in bed by her side. He stretched his arm out and she put her head on his chest. Quietly they both started to drift into a light sleep. Daniel kept his arm around Sam and was about to lose his battle with unconsciousness, when Sam slightly lifted her head and tried to look at him in the dark. Then she dropped a naquadah bomb in Daniel's lap.

"Daniel, would you let me have a baby with you?"

"Wh-what?" He said while turning on the bedside lamp to be able to look at her. "What did you say?"

"I said that I'd love to have your baby."

"But, Sam, you know I won't be around for too much longer. Dr. Lam doesn't know how long; the tumor is unpredictable, nothing she's seen before, but all the doctors agreed it wouldn't be too long… Maybe some months… or just weeks…"

"Oh, Daniel, I understand, but that's why we have to do it. You're right; I want to have a baby. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. What do they say about the ticking clock? I do. I do want it, and you're the only person in the world I can even imagine to be the father. I thought that if I got together with Jack I wouldn't have any chance. I don't think he wants another child; he's been through that. But you, you'd be perfect, for as long as you have, and then I'd take care of him. I'd leave SG-1 and request a desk job. Hey, even resign my commission if necessary."

She was talking fast and sounded so excited that he was amazed. He could not think of what to say. It was an honor that she wanted him for the father. He knew she would be a great mother; he even thought that she was better to Cassie than Janet had been. No, he could not deny her that if that was what she wanted. Actually, he did not think he could deny her anything.

"Daniel? Are you listening to me? Have I offended you? I'm sorry."

"No, Sam," he interrupted her. "You haven't offended me. On the contrary, I'm honored. If that's what you really want, I'll do it. However, although I know we don't have much time left, I don't want to rush things. Why don't you think about it a little bit more and then you tell me what you have decided? Either way, I will accept it, and then, if we have to, we can talk about the logistics of the matter. All right?"

Sam smiled and nodded. He turned off the light, kissed her forehead and said his goodnight. She laid her head on his chest again and went to sleep thinking that she had found a way to keep Daniel with her forever.

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	2. Chapter 2

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 2**

The following morning, Sam drove to her house after promising Daniel she would seriously think about what she had asked and then come back for dinner to give him an answer. He also made her promise she would not spend the day crying because of his illness. Sam found it easier than she would have imagined. She was full of hope that she would have Daniel's baby and, somehow, he would stay with her. She did not need to reflect on it; she knew exactly what she wanted to do and she filled her day imagining how the future would be like.

Early in the evening, she got ready to go back to his house. She put on a pair of jeans and a light sweater and left the house. Just then it hit her. How were they going to go about this _having a baby together?_ Was _in vitro_ a good option? No, she told herself. The old fashioned way would be far better and certainly less painful and bothersome. What was she thinking! Daniel was not attracted to her that way and she was not either. Right? Well, they would have to talk about it. Perhaps that was what he meant when he referred to the _logistics of the matter_ the night before. In any case, it would be better if she tried to help, so she went back inside and put on one of her best dresses. She fixed her hair in a more feminine way and even added a bit of make-up. Then she got in her car and left.

Daniel spent the day putting more of his stuff in order. He had known about his tumor for at least ten days now and he had been slowly preparing for the end. He had no idea when or how he would die, but he could feel it coming deep inside him. He was calm and ready. He was truly tired and saw his oncoming death as a sort of liberation. He made plans to tell Cassie and decided there was not anyone else he wanted to know about it. Jack called him in the afternoon, worried and already building the shell in which he would hide his feelings when Daniel died. It had worked when he ascended; it would have to do now, too.

Many times during the day, Daniel's thoughts went back to Sam and the idea of having a baby with her. He could anticipate the joy of just putting his hand on her belly and knowing that his baby was there even if he never got to see him being born. However, in spite of his desires, he was absolutely convinced that Sam would come back to her senses and dismiss the idea.

When later he opened the door to let her in, he was stunned by how radiant she looked. He was surprised to notice that she had obviously taken time to fix herself up for him, almost as if they were on a date. "Wow! You look beautiful tonight!" he said, sincerely.

"You mean, I'm not the same old spinster that you see everyday?" she replied jokingly.

"You're a beautiful woman, Sam, extraordinarily beautiful, no matter what you wear or what you do. Your beauty comes from inside and I've always seen it. It's just that tonight you have even enhanced that and I thought it wasn't possible," he finished more seriously.

She was deeply touched. "Oh, Daniel," she exclaimed. "You see beauty in others because the beauty is in you. You have an exceptional soul. It shines through your eyes and smiles to us in the hardest of times." She walked toward him and hugged him tightly. What was she going to do when he died? She could not think about it right then, but her eyes filled with tears nonetheless. Daniel sensed the emotion and stroked her hair gently.

"Come on, Sam. You promised me not to cry. Everything will be fine in the end." She shivered at his choice of words and he felt it. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's all right, Daniel. Let's have dinner and then we'll talk," she interrupted him and left his arms to smile at him. "Deal?"

"Deal," he agreed and both went to the kitchen to enjoy their meal.

A couple of hours later, they sat on the sofa just as the night before, except that this time Sam sat leaning on Daniel's shoulder. That was a position they only adopted in extraordinary occasions, such as mourning the loss of yet another member of the SGC. Daniel immediately knew Sam had changed her mind and wanted to deliver the news without hurting him too much. He decided to help her by starting the conversation.

"Well, Sam, I'm sure that after a day of careful consideration, you must have seen all the disadvantages of being a single parent. Don't worry. I understand. Despite how beguiling the idea could be-"

"Wait, wait, wait. You promised you would accept what I decided. I don't care if there are any _disadvantages_, as you call them. They are more like _little hitches_ on the road, problems to be solved when and if they appear. I'll manage; you leave that to me. I told you yesterday; I want us to have a baby together and I haven't changed my mind."

Daniel sighed, relieved, and shyly said, "Okay."

"That's it? Okay? Doesn't it excite you a little?"

"Ah, Sam… You don't know… I was scared out of my mind you wouldn't want it anymore. I am excited. I'm happy. I'm elated," he smiled.

Sam had turned around to look at him for the last question, so it was easy for her to lean a little and hug him for all he was worth. They remained embraced for a while longer, both with tears rolling down their faces. Then they separated and started planning.

Sam calculated that Dr. Lam was going to call her soon for her next mandated contraceptive shot, so necessary when going off-world to face unknown situations. By then she would have requested to stand down from SG-1 off-world activities or maybe a transfer to a desk –laboratory?– job. She would be in the Infirmary first thing the following Monday to get information about how much longer they would have to wait. They also decided that Daniel should put his house for sale and move to hers. If it did not sell soon, he would give Sam a power of attorney to take care of the matter. She would clear up her guest room and a little room on top of the garage so that he could have as much space as he needed. It would not be hard, especially considering that he already had started getting rid of his stuff.

The move was mostly her idea. She felt strong apprehension every time she thought she would have to separate from Daniel for any extended period of time. She was afraid that he would vanish if she was not looking at him, if she was not touching him. He had promptly agreed with the idea, simply because it was the logical thing to do. He then spent the weekend selecting what he would take to Sam's house –there was not much left that still mattered to him after all his experiences with death– and she spent the time preparing her house for him.

Early Monday, Sam went to see Dr. Lam. She did not have a rapport with her like the one she had shared with Janet; nonetheless she was a nice person and she already knew Sam's medical history. Furthermore, she knew about Daniel's condition. The doctor listened intently and promised to help. Even though she was not an expert on fertility, she promised to consult with a friend of hers that had specialized in that field.

Sam met Daniel a few minutes later and they both walked towards General Landry's office. They decided to be completely honest with him and tell him the whole story. The news slightly shocked the general, especially since on no occasion had the couple given any indication that they were romantically involved or planning to marry, but he did not miss the light of hope in Daniel's eyes, something that had been completely absent when they had discussed his medical status less than two weeks before. He thought he had no right to deny anything to two people who had already given so much for their country. Actually, _for the world_ was a much better assessment.

As soon as they got his approval, Sam left to talk to Teal'c and Daniel went to see Cam. During Daniel's first ascension –she could not believe there had been more than one–, Teal'c had been the one who had most helped her deal with the loss. Jack had been completely emotionally unavailable. Now, Teal'c understood promptly and offered his support in any way necessary.

Cameron Mitchell had a rougher time with the news –there went his newly reunited SG-1– but he was glad that at least something positive would come out of so much pain.

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	3. Chapter 3

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 3**

Two days later, once Daniel had already moved to Sam's house and he had called Jack to invite him to come over for the weekend, so that they could let him know of their new arrangement face to face, Sam walked anxiously to the Infirmary. Five minutes into her conversation with Carolyn, she was already in a deep state of panic. According to scientific studies from around the world, the return of ovulation after discontinuing Depo-Provera only occurred approximately five months after the end of the expected effect of the last injection. There were some cases when it had been more than that, but none with a shorter period of wait. Age, body mass, duration of use, nothing changed the statistics.

She did not know if she had that much time, if Daniel had that much time. She went directly home, crying all the way until she got there. She run to her bedroom, collapsed on the bed and kept on crying.

Dr. Lam did not miss how badly she received the information and thought it would be advisable to call Daniel. She gave him an abridged explanation of the situation and suggested that he looked for Sam and discussed it with her. When he could not find her in her office, he called the guards on the surface and confirmed that she had left the Base, visibly upset, according to the officer on the phone. He went after her and found her on the bed, still crying. He lifted her enough to hold her in his arms and tried to soothe her with soft caresses on her hair and calming whispers.

She finally stopped sobbing and said, "I'm so sorry, Daniel. I got you all wound up about my idea and now it's probably not going to happen because of me." Tears came back to her eyes and she was going to lean back on him to keep crying when he stopped her.

"Look at me, Sam. This is not your fault. This is nobody's fault. It's simply a medical problem and therefore our approach has to be scientific. We've faced more terrible things before."

"How? What could we do? There's nothing that could change things as they are now."

"We could store some of my sperm and, if I don't make it until you're ready, you can use it to have the baby," he pointed softly.

"It's not the same. You wouldn't enjoy any part of it."

"Well, then let's analyze the problem like we've done all these years in SG-1. The main reason that you aren't fertile is because your blood still contains very high levels of the contraceptive drug. As long as you do, you won't ovulate. Consequently, the main objective should be to diminish or completely eliminate DMPA from your plasma. How am I doing?"

Though Sam was not surprised by the fact that Daniel had so soon worked a logical solution to their problem, she was in awe by the power of his mind. "You're doing great. I'm amazed. Do you know if anything like it has been done before?"

"I have no idea, but it's worth finding out, or even trying to do it for our case." Then, he changed the optimistic expression he had been holding during the conversation and added more somberly, "I know it's still early…" He sounded so tired. "Would you mind if we fix a little bit of soup and go to bed? I'm not feeling that well."

Wow. If he accepted "_not feeling that well," _that was a very bad sign. "What do you feel? Do you want me to call Dr. Lam?"

"No, no. It's not that bad. It's cold outside and I feel it very much today. I just need some comfort food and a bit of rest."

She rose from the bed and told him, "Wait right here. Get in bed and I'll prepare the food in a minute." When he started to get up, she added, "No, don't go to your bed. Stay here. I think what you need is some pampering, and maybe even some cuddling. That's what friends are for, right?" She smiled at him and left for the kitchen with anguish grabbing her heart. "Don't die on me, Daniel. Please, don't," she whispered.

The rest of the week was simply nightmarish for Sam. There were no easily available studies on how to reduce the levels of the contraceptive in her blood. The synthetic hormone had plagued her with uncomfortable side effects for years, but this was beyond anything she would have expected. She had never thought about the consequences of using the shot until then. She had trusted the military with her health and never had a reason to doubt them. Now, trying to solve her problem, she had heard one horror story after another. She reluctantly agreed to let Daniel have some of his sperm stored, just in case. She did not want to think about that possibility at the moment. She had to concentrate all her efforts in finding a solution and in taking care of Daniel. Not that he needed anyone to take care of him; he was as energetic and hard working as ever. She knew part of it was a show put on for her and the benefit of the SGC and she admired him more for it. Nevertheless, spending the days with Daniel had been a startlingly pleasant experience. She was not used to sharing her space, especially her house, with anyone. After years of sharing tents and barracks with other airwomen and airmen, she always looked forward to going home and being alone. Except that coming home with Daniel was different. He had a calming effect on her and, after a day of hardship, he was the best medicine. His cooking abilities were far beyond hers –well, probably everybody's abilities were better than hers, she thought– and he always found something that led them into an engaging conversation. She also enjoyed the new intimacy they shared. Though she had never been a touchy-feely person, it came easy when she was near Daniel. He had a way of hugging her that made her forget there was anything or anyone else around. They had been hugging a lot lately. They also held hands very often or they cuddled on the sofa. She had been thinking to ask Daniel to move into her bedroom –she had deeply enjoyed the night they had spent together– but she was afraid he would interpret the suggestion to mean that she was trying to transform their relationship into something sexual. That was going to come when they tried to conceive, but she did not want to think about that at that moment. They had not touched the subject yet and she was too worried about her infertility problem to pay attention to the matter.

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	4. Chapter 4

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 4**

On Saturday morning, they went together to pick up Jack at the airport. They drove him straight to Sam's home, talking about the people from the SGC that Jack had not seen for a while. Lunch had been almost ready before they left the house, so it took Daniel only a few minutes to fix the rest. They had a superb meal while still having inconsequential conversation. Right after serving the dessert, Daniel looked at Jack straight in the eyes and said, "We're very glad that you accepted our invitation for this weekend. There's something we want to share with you and we wanted to do it personally."

"Oookay", Jack responded, completely clueless about what the two of them could be into together.

"I've moved in here with Sam because we have decided to have a child together."

Jack choked on the water he just had put in his mouth and, while Sam and Daniel got up and tried to help him, he processed the information. He would have said something sarcastic like _"For crying out loud"_ as was typical for him, but he knew that Daniel was dying and understood that there was something deeper going on. They had not said _"We are in love and we want to have a baby"_ or _"We want a baby because we discovered how much we love each other" _either. No, the main point was _"We have decided to have a child together."_ In a second he grasped the meaning of it. It was the last attempt of a normal human being –well, it looked like Daniel was a normal human being after all– to achieve his immortality, his own child, his heir. Sam had agreed to it because she cared so much about Daniel that she could not let him down, especially considering that there were no other women in his life.

He thanked them for their concern about his choking and tried to smile. "Well, if that's what you want… then, congratulations to both!" He forced himself to say. He felt some kind of pain knowing that Sam was with Daniel. In retrospective, it was his own fault. If he had ever said anything to Sam about his feelings for her, particularly now that he was not her CO, she surely would be with him and not Daniel. She was in love with him; he knew it. She was doing this for charity, more or less. He proposed a toast and kept smiling but Daniel sensed the tension.

"It's not like we've been having a torrid affair behind your back, Jack," he said and then added, "We're not really together. I'm living in the guest room; we'll have to share tonight. This is just about the baby."

Jack caught a glimpse of disappointment in Sam's face, but she quickly lowered her eyes and took a bite of the dessert she had not even touched before. That confused him, so he tried to ascertain what he had understood. "Don't worry, Daniel. I understand completely and I'm very glad that Sam has agreed to help you out."

He was about to add something else when Sam interrupted him. "I'm not helping Daniel, sir. It was my idea and I begged Daniel to father my baby. I'm delighted that he accepted to share with me the time he…" She could not finish; her eyes filled with tears and she had to get up and run out of the room.

Daniel and Jack stood up instantly, but Daniel touched Jack's arm and whispered, "Finish your dessert, Jack. I know it's your favorite. We'll talk more later. I'll take care of the dishes in a short while. Just give me a couple of minutes to talk to Sam. She has other problems that you don't know about yet."

Jack was dumbfounded. He sat back down and attacked the cake. His mind was rushing from one idea to another. He imagined that was how Daniel's head worked regularly. So, it had been Sam's idea? Why did she want to have a baby with Daniel? Maybe it was pity. Though the way she was looking at Daniel did not show that. There was the admiration and respect she always showed the archeologist and something more. Of course, there was love, too; she loved Daniel very much, as much as she loved Teal'c, but not the way she loved him, right? Now he was not so certain. He would have to dig a little deeper.

Daniel found Sam in her bedroom, crying on top of her bed. He sat by her side and drew her into his arms. He did not stop her from crying. She had been very brave about the contraceptive problem all week; she needed some release. She cried for a little while longer until Daniel's calming presence had its effect on her. She lifted her head and whispered, "Sorry."

"Don't be. It's completely understandable. Because you stopped the hormonal shot, your body is going haywire and I'm only adding to your burden."

"Please, don't say that. You're not a burden to me. If it weren't because I know what's coming, I would tell you that these days we've spent together have been some of the best of my life, probably the best since I lost my mom."

"Thank you, Sam." He brought her back to his chest and kissed the top of her head. "Why don't you take a little nap? This week has been very hard. I'll go for a walk with Jack and, then, we can call Teal'c and Cam and head out for dinner together. All right?"

"That's fine," she answered while he helped her lay on the bed and covered her with a warm blanket. "I'll wake you up when we come back. Get some rest."

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	5. Chapter 5

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 5**

"So," Jack said after they had walked for a while. "What's really going on between Carter and you?"

"Exactly what we told you."

"Come on, Daniel. You don't expect me to believe that, do you?"

"I don't expect anything, Jack. That's the way things are."

"Oh, for crying out loud, Daniel. You want me to believe that Carter is willing to throw her career down the drain just because she wants to be a mommy?"

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. "She's not throwing away anything. She still has a career; she has many different opportunities to choose from. She's only leaving SG-1 –and we're both sorry about that–, because, yes, she wants to be a mother, and," he added, stopping to look at Jack's eyes, "you'd probably be the father if you weren't so obtuse."

"Thank you," Jack said full of sarcasm.

"I mean it, Jack. She's been waiting all these years for you to take the first step. She just doesn't think it's feasible anymore. Too much has happened in the last years."

"Let's keep walking," Jack asked. As soon as they started their walk again, he added, "I've thought about Carter a lot during these years, Daniel, but you're right, I never went beyond the flirting."

"Why?" Daniel asked in a tone that suggested there was no logical explanation he would accept.

"Because… Let me tell you a story, well, something like a story. Do you remember when I was stranded in Edora?"

"Yes; Sam was going insane trying to find a way to get you back."

"Well, while I was there, Laira –you remember her, right?"

"Yes, I do." Daniel said.

"Laira wanted to have another child, and she… she asked me to help her. We had this thing going on, this _mutual attraction_, and I though, why not."

"So, you _helped_ her?"

"Yep."

"Did she get pregnant?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? And you never went back to find out?"

"No."

"Wow… Why? Again, I don't understand you. Why wouldn't you want to know if you a have a son or a daughter living somewhere on another planet?"

"My point exactly," Jack interjected.

"Excuse me?"

"On another planet. That's the point. I don't think I could have gotten over the fact that I had a child, and gotten to know him, love him as much as I loved Charlie, and then, have to leave him there with who knows what chances to see him again. It would have been like loosing Charlie all over again."

"If you don't mind me saying, Jack, that's pretty cowardly."

"Maybe, but I believe that was the best for everybody."

"And what does that have to do with Sam? She's not on another planet."

"But she wanted a family, children, a little house on the prairie, the whole nine yards. You've proven it."

"So you let her down because you were afraid of suffering," Daniel stated more than asked.

"Stop judging me, Daniel. You haven't risked much in that area either, have you? Sha're has been dead for what now, five, six years? You haven't really tried at another relationship because you too are afraid of going through the same pain of losing." Daniel did not answer, so Jack kept going, "You know, come to think about it, the only woman that has been a constant in your life all these years has been Sam. Are you sure you didn't have some hidden feelings for her all along?"

"Look, Jack, I… I won't deny that I consider Sam a very attractive woman. Besides, she's extraordinarily bright, and that's even more attractive to me. She's been amazing me since the very first day, but the relationship between us has always been more sibling-like. Whenever any thoughts in another direction came to my mind, I got rid of them immediately."

"Aha. You've _had_ that kind of thoughts," Jack pointed out.

"I'm pretty sure every man at the SGC has. At the beginning, it made me feel guilty about how that was a betrayal to Sha're, and, later, to you."

"Ah… The plot thickens. You've had those thoughts more than once. Why didn't _you_ do anything about them?"

"They weren't serious enough to consider," Daniel said dismissively. "Besides, I told you, Jack; I could see how you felt about her. I couldn't have betrayed you. The only time I _did do_ something about it, was when you found me on Vis Uban."

"You did? I didn't know. What did you do?"

"You have to understand, Jack. I didn't remember anything, not even my name. I had no idea how much I cared about all of you. But when I saw Sam, I felt all these feelings hitting me at once."

"What did you do? Tell me."

"I asked her if there had ever been anything between us."

"And she said…"

"No, of course. She just said we had been really good friends. Then, I started remembering and I took her answer as a cue."

"But the feelings were still there."

"They were, just milder, friendly feelings,"

"Why don't you do something about them now?"

"Even if I thought there was any chance with Sam, which I don't, it's too late. I can't start a relationship now that I know I'm going to end it abruptly and soon. It wouldn't be fair for Sam. It's not like I'm dying of love for her." Jack winced and Daniel added, "Bad choice of words, though you get the meaning. I'm not madly in love with her, Jack. I just love her, and I'm content with things as they are. Besides, she has no feelings of that kind toward me, either."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He paused very shortly and added, "We should be going back; we have to call Teal'c and Cam to see if they'd like to go out to dinner with us. I'll tell you about what else is bothering Sam on our way back."

Jack thought that was a rather sudden change of subject, but decided to let it go, for a while.

The rest of the weekend passed smoothly. Daniel's friends were keenly aware that this was probably one of the last chances they would have to spend some _normal_ time with him. They could foresee what the future would bring when his sickness worsened. They were thankful that he was willing to spend his time with them.

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	6. Chapter 6

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 6**

The week ahead was not so good. The SGC Medical Team concluded that it was not a normal occurrence for a woman to try to get pregnant immediately after the interruption of the contraceptive shots. Mostly everybody who planned a pregnancy had in mind to take the necessary time to achieve that goal. They even found that there were support groups to help couples cope with the wait and its hassles. Therefore, there were neither studies nor tests they could use to help Sam.

The next step was to produce a combination of hormonal treatments and other drugs that could aid her with the main two problems, the lack of ovulation and the thinning of her uterine walls. If the latter was not addressed, even if she conceived, the fertilized egg would not be able to attach to the unwelcoming walls. They knew fertility drugs would have to be included in the cocktail and they warned Sam and Daniel about the possible consequences. They both assented nonetheless.

Dr. Brightman, who had temporarily occupied Janet's position after her death while waiting for the official replacement, was put in charge of the team that would care for Sam. Brightman was a young and capable professional with a background in Gynecology and Obstetrics before joining the SGC. She was eager to work on Sam's case because she would have alien technology at her disposal to complement what was available on Earth. Perhaps she would achieve results that could be used later to help other women trying to conceive.

Dr. Lam was still in charge of Daniel's case. His tumor had her staggered. There was no rhyme or reason to its rate of growth. Though still small and not capable of causing too much damage to Daniel's abilities, it was clearly evolving and, undoubtedly, it was lethal. She could also see that Daniel was fairly depressed. It would have been a typical consequence of his condition, were it not for a few details she had been observing in her last tests. He was not depressed about knowing he was going to die soon; he had accepted that fact, showed no fear for his future, and moved on past it. There was something else that was worrying him and she could not grasp what. Her biggest concern was that, startling as it sounded, she could glimpse a connection between his emotional state and the behavior of his tumor. She was not willing to share her suspicions with others until she had evidence to the effect, but, since taking this new approach, all the data had started to make sense.

On Thursday afternoon, Teal'c went to see Daniel. SG-1 had retrieved an interesting tablet from the last planet they had checked for Ori presence. He had read some of it, but he had difficulty with some passages. This week SG-1 had been assigned an anthropologist, not a linguist, and the poor man had had no clue as to how to help them with the tablet.

When Teal'c reached Daniel's office, he was surprised because it was almost completely dark. He knew Daniel was inside because he would have never left the door open and the office unattended. Too many important documents and artifacts were stored there while he was using them.

He entered slowly, letting his eyes get used to the lack of light, until he distinguished Daniel's shape in a corner. He was sitting on the floor, with his back against the wall. He had his arms tight around his legs and he supported his forehead on his knees.

"Are you not well, DanielJackson?" Teal'c asked approaching him.

Daniel raised his head, startled. He sighed and answered, "Hey, Teal'c. Don't worry. I'm fine, just a little nauseous. The light was bothering me too much. I think my headache is back."

"I would not address the addition of all those symptoms as _being fine_, DanielJackson. I believe you should consult with Dr. Lam."

"Oh, no. I'm fine, seriously. It's just that Sergeant Matthews was here earlier and told me that Carl Rogers, you know, the linguist, had died in an accident during SG-7's last mission. I really appreciated him. He was a good man. I'm worried about his family. Three children…"

"Was that the moment when you started feeling ill?"

"What? Ah… oh, yeah. More or less."

"Then, if you are not willing to communicate this to your physician, I believe at least you should take some time off base to recuperate. I will aid you on this, DanielJackson. Prepare for leaving; I will inform Colonel Carter of your condition; she will take care of driving you home. Then, I will let General Landry know that you are both taking Friday off."

"Wow, Teal'c. It's just a little nausea. Besides, you came to talk about something else. What was it?"

"The reason that brought me here is secondary to your health. I have followed your advice in many occasions, my friend. I am confident that you will trust me this time." With that final remark, Teal'c turned around and left the office to go find Sam.

Daniel reluctantly got up and started gathering some papers and other materials. If he was going home, he was going to make sure he had enough to finish his work for the week.

Minutes later, Sam rushed into the office.

"How are you feeling? You still have nausea? Did you take any medications? Do you want me to call Carolyn? I'm sure she's still in her office-"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey… Sam. Stop," he said with his hands up. "I'm fine. I told Teal'c. It's nothing serious."

"Teal'c is right," she continued without listening. "You need to rest. We're going home. I'll take care of you. If I stay home with you, I'll be able to make sure that you rest and that you don't even think about working there."

He looked at her with a resigned expression and left all the papers he was holding back on the desk. They were right. He was very tired. He did want to go home.

Half an hour later they were at her house. Sam directed Daniel straight to her bed.

"This is more comfortable," she explained. "I'll go to the other room tonight."

"No, you can stay, if you want to."

"Okay. I will. First, I'm going to get some dinner ready."

Daniel stopped her. "Teal'c told me he had ordered food for us when he was making sure I followed his orders."

"Teal'c told you that in the parking lot?'

"Yes. The food will arrive soon. I quote _'A nutritious dish for a delicate palate'_. I hope it's not sushi."

"Wow. I'm impressed."

"Yep."

"What do you want to do meanwhile? Rest a little?"

"Would you do something for me?"

"Anything." She thought it sounded a little desperate and added promptly. "Sure, I'll help you."

"All right. On the top drawer of the dresser, in my room, there's a blue box. It's heavy. Would you mind bringing it?"

"No problem. Be back in a minute." She left the room smiling, but she was worried. He looked pale and fragile. A few minutes later, she went back into her room carrying the blue box. It was not too big, but it was heavy. It was covered in a thin layer of velvet.

Daniel was already in bed. "Ah, the Jackson treasures!" he joked as he received the box and deposited it on top of the bed. "Seriously," he added when he caught Sam dismissive smile. "These belonged to my mother, and some to my grandmothers, and many other women in the family before that. I'm the only one left. I got them all." Sam sat down on the other side of the box and looked at what he was pointing. "It's a miracle I still have them, after so many times that I've been… gone."

"They're beautiful," Sam whispered.

"Yes, they are. There are not many _big_ pieces. They are mostly things that can be worn in many occasions; some have historical value," he smiled, "and some are for special moments. I've been thinking about giving these earrings to Cassie. Maybe this medal, too. What do you think?"

"I think she would love them. They're her style; you know her so well."

"I hope so. If… if I don't see her soon, would you make sure she gets them?"

"Sure, but it will be better if you do it. She'll like that. When is she coming?"

"She promised to come next week, after she's done with a set of exams."

"That's good."

"Yes." He made a little pause and continued, "The rest is for you."

"I'm sorry?" She said shocked.

"I said that everything else in the box is for you."

"No, I couldn't do that."

"Do you expect _me _to wear them?" he asked as he tried a necklace on his neck, smiling.

"No," she said smiling too, "although that doesn't look so badly on you."

He laughed and dropped the necklace to hold her hand. "I'm serious, Sam. I know you don't wear jewelry when you're on duty, but there are special occasions when you could use them. There's no other person in the world that I'd desire to have them."

"Thank you, Daniel," she said with tears in her eyes.

"There's only one more thing that I'm going to take out."

"Take everything you want to take."

"No. That's not what I mean. You'll get these too. I just want to tell you something. These," he said opening a little black sac, "these are my parents' wedding rings," he put them on the bed, "and this one is my mother's engagement ring. She had long thin fingers, just like you."

"It's extraordinary," Sam said as she looked at the ring.

"Very simple, the way she liked things. One diamond on a platinum band. That's all."

"She had exquisite taste," Sam added.

"Yes." He looked at the ring longingly and put it on the bed with the other two. Then, he held her hands. "I'm sure you have other expectations for this next moment, but there's not much I can do to better it. I've been thinking that we should get married." Sam looked at him with a shocked expression. "I know, I know. Just for the books…" She rapidly lowered her eyes so that he could not read the pain in them. "I want you and the baby to have the chance to take my name. I'm not trying to impose it on you. I thought perhaps it would help you when you get pregnant," he looked at her hands, "and the baby when he goes to school."

She was astonished by his confidence. He was certain that she would get pregnant and he was already imagining their child going to school. She was about to answer when he got out of bed and knelt on the floor.

"Let's do it properly." He looked directly in her eyes, smiled, and said, "From my heart, Sam. Would you, Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter, bestow on me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Sam's smile broadened and the tears came back to her eyes. She knelt on the floor in front of Daniel and hugged him tightly while she whispered in his ear, "Yes, I will. Always. Everything you ask."

They were both caught up in the emotion of the moment when the bell rang. They reluctantly broke apart and Sam helped Daniel back to bed; she tucked him in, and said, "It must be dinner. I'm going to get it."

"Wait! One more thing," he told her. He stretched his arm, grabbed her left hand and put his mother's ring on her finger. "That's it. Now, you can go."

Dinner was delicious. They were both flabbergasted that Teal'c had gotten to know Earth food so well. After finishing the meal, they called to thank him. He was happy that his selection had been successful.

They had turned on the TV during dinner to lighten up the mood. They were both highly emotionally charged and they needed a pause. When the show they were watching finished, they turned it off and they sat on bed together. Sam leaned on Daniel's shoulder and he put his arm around her. They were feeling very comfortable and Daniel saw the opportunity to coax Sam into telling him what her teenage dreams for her wedding had been. She described how she had always wanted a ceremony like the one her parents had. Her father was stationed in Germany at that time and he had no hope of coming back to America any time soon. Her mother traveled to his base with a very small group of family members and some of their closest friends. They held the ceremony at the base. They did not get a honeymoon because they had spent their savings on buying plane tickets for the guests. The result had been certainly better.

While Sam was talking, Daniel was planning. He could arrange most of it and put together a wedding at their base. He knew that Sam had been raised Catholic and decided to enlist the help of the chaplain to get all the paperwork in order and find a priest with the right clearance. The only problem would be to get such clearance for Sam's brother, Mark. He would have to work on it.

"Would it be too soon if we get married next week?" Daniel asked. He knew it was sudden but he was running short on time. "I will take care of the big problems. You can be in charge of the details; I don't know anything about dresses and tuxedos, invitations or souvenirs. Those things. If I get the place, the priest, the menu, and the music, can you take care of the rest?"

Sam felt overwhelmed for a second, but then she understood Daniel's hurry. She was military. She knew how to organize fast and efficiently. "Yes, next week is fine. Tomorrow we'll make a list of duties and we'll assign them. We can enlist the help of some of our friends."

Daniel smiled at how fast she had taken command of the situation. They talked for a little while longer and then they went to sleep, still holding each other. Sam felt relieved. He was looking far better than when they got home.

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	7. Chapter 7

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 7**

The wedding was held the following Wednesday. Mark was granted permission to attend, but not his family. The government had already been preparing to authorize him when Jacob was on his deathbed, per his request, but Jacob had died before the paperwork had been finished. At that time they had considered both his sister and his father's involvement in the program and how probably more instances could arise in which his presence would be requested at the mountain. They had also taken into account that he was a policeman and that his former partner and best friend, Pete Shanahan from Denver, had already been briefed. They did not know for certain if Shanahan had given him any information about what he had uncovered before he was finally briefed and sworn to secrecy. In any case, Mark received a very succinct explanation of Sam and Daniel's job. Most of the facts related to the Stargate Program were kept secret. Sam did not add anything about Daniel's health or the reason for the wedding.

Cassie got there right on time. Only a few more people were down in the Gateroom, where the ceremony took place General Hammond gave the bride away. There was not a best man or bridesmaids, just their friends in a circle. Jack, Teal'c, Cameron, Mark, Ferretti, General Hammond, General Landry, Paul Davis for the Pentagon, Dr. Brightman, Dr. Lam, and Cassie. Sergeants Harriman and Siler were there, too, representing the rest of the personnel from the base. Finally, as a peace offering to the newly _reformed_ N.I.D., Sam had invited agent Malcolm Barrett. Many others were looking down from the Observation Deck.

After the religious ceremony, Sam and Daniel led their guests, plus any other member of the SGC present on base at the time, to a simple dinner in the mess hall.

Mark spent the evening observing his sister. He was genuinely grateful to her for helping him renew his relationship with their father before his death. He also was still stunned by the revelations that had permitted him to be part of the wedding. Shortly after arriving from San Diego, he had been told the most incredible story he had ever heard and, justifiably, he had not believed it until he had reached the Gateroom. Now, he was sitting at a table alone; everybody else at his table was dancing in the center of the room.

He looked at Sam again. She had not looked nervous at the ceremony. Actually, nobody had. He could only imagine the situations most of those people had been through and how that would make this event a non-event. Trying to decipher the emotions on Sam's face, he could see true happiness, hope, and respect and admiration for the man at her side. There was also something deep, very powerful, that seemed to be the source of her strength. It had to be love, he thought. However, he could see one more thing, the reason why she needed that strength. There was fear in her eyes, in the way she held Daniel's hands at every chance, in the way she hugged him –and he hugged her–, desperately, as if fighting against invisible foes. He imagined what atrocities they could have witnessed together, but always went back to the sensation that there was something else, something unutterable.

He was lost in his thoughts when Sam touched his arm. "May I have one dance with this handsome gentleman?" she asked him smiling.

"Of course. It would be an honor, milady," he smiled back.

"I'm very happy that you could come. I miss you." Sam said after they started dancing.

"I miss you, too. I wish we didn't live so far from each other. We could visit more often and you could spend more time with the kids."

"I know," she agreed.

"Daniel seems to love you very much." Mark said more quietly.

"You think?" Sam asked without thinking.

"What? You don't?" Mark asked back, with exaggerated incredulity in his face.

"That's not what I meant." Sam rushed to explain. "You don't know Daniel very well. I thought it was surprising you could read what he feels."

"It's pretty much written in bold colors in his face. Every time he looks at you. Every time he holds you. Even _I _can read that," he finished.

"Thank you," Sam simply told him. "It's good that you see it that way. There's always been something very deep between the two of us."

"Yeah. Dad told me."

"Dad told you?" Sam was shocked. "What did he say? When?"

"One of the last times he called me on the phone. He said he couldn't call often, but it was a lot better than before." Sam was looking desperate, so he continued. "Well, I was talking about Pete and you, of how happy I was about it, and he said something like _'I only want Sammy to be happy. I know your friend is a good guy, but I think she has feelings for one of her friends'_. So I asked what he meant with _feelings_, and he said that he thought you were in love with him, but for some reason you didn't want to acknowledge it to yourself."

"He didn't name Daniel, did he? He must have been talking about Jack."

"What? You had a thing with that guy Jack, too? That one I don't see," Mark joked.

"We had nothing. People just thought," Sam rebutted feeling upset.

"Anyway, Dad wasn't talking about him. He said that he hoped you understood how much Daniel meant to you before it was too late and you had made a mistake that would make you and Pete unhappy for the rest of your lives."

Sam was speechless. She stopped dancing and looked at her brother's eyes to see if he was telling the truth. She did not believe he would lie; it was just too much. Some of her father's last words started to make sense now. "_You can still have everything you want,_" he had said before dying.

Mark kept talking. "He also told me that after all he had seen these years –and now I know what he meant–, Daniel was the only man he would trust with you. That no one else he knew measured up to him, or was even close. I was pretty impressed and I didn't even know what I know about him now."

Sam could not hold the tears anymore. She hugged Mark and then walked with him to one of the tables to sit down and compose herself. After a while she took one of his hands in hers and told him, "You know, Mark, you being here and telling me those things Dad said are two of the three best things that happened to me today, right behind marrying Daniel. Thank you."

Daniel kept an eye on Sam all the time she was with Mark. He felt relieved when he saw the little displays of affection between them. It looked like they had mended their relationship pretty well. He did not know why, but he was feeling rather well himself that night. Monday and Tuesday had been miserable, with many soldiers injured and two deaths. Their wars never ended. He had been very upset about the events and especially about how sick the new medicines were making Sam. His headache had been flaring all the time.

Cassie approached him and sat by his side.

"Are you happy, Daniel? After all those things you told me before the wedding, when I got here, I've been so worried. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I'm happy. I'm doing great, actually. Don't worry about me, please." His answer seemed genuine enough.

"Did you know that at the beginning, when I met all of you, I thought Sam and you were a couple?"

"When? Why?"

"When you two took me to the park where Jack gave me the dog. I had this secret hope that you would be my adoptive parents. I don't mean that Janet wasn't a good mother. By then I didn't know any of you very well. I just thought that; that you were made for each other."

Daniel smiled in a way that made her self-conscious. "Well, that was sappy, I know." She changed to an amused expression and added, "I also had a crush on you, when I was sixteen. I was terribly mad at Sam by the time of my birthday. "

"Why?" Daniel asked trying to hide the blush in his face.

"Because she had you and I didn't," Cassie replied. Daniel was about to deny it when she smiled broadly and said, "Don't worry. I'm over you. I have a boyfriend now." They both laughed and kept on talking for a while.

Malcolm Barrett approached Sam as she was saying goodbye to a couple of officers who had to go on duty. "So that's what _'Not exactly'_ means, eh?" he inquired smiling.

She looked confused for a second and then she remembered their conversation in the surveillance van. "I suppose so," she said smiling back at him. "I'm glad you could make it. You represent a huge change in the way the N.I.D. has treated us."

"I'm happy I can be of service," he replied. "I saw the telegrams and presents Sergeant Harriman was organizing over there. The President, eh? Pretty impressive." He smiled again and she knew he was teasing her.

"Come on, Agent Barrett. Let's find Daniel and cut that cake. I think you need some champagne." She held him by the arm and they went in search of Daniel. As they approached him and everybody got ready to cut the cake, Dr. Lam took advantage of the commotion and escaped to her office for a while. She wanted to make some notes in Daniel's chart before she went home.

At the end of the evening, Daniel and Sam went home with Cassie. Even though they had told her about the tumor and the plans for the baby, they had omitted the details of their arrangement and they were not willing to make it public. They put Cassie in the guest room and they went to the master bedroom together.

"I guess we'll have to start getting used to being here together," Sam said, "especially as the time for the baby approaches." She immediately felt blushing and she wished she had not said out loud what she was thinking.

"You're right," Daniel assented to her surprise. "We'll have to get used to many other things," he continued as he came close. "Would you mind trying a little bit?" he whispered as he stood in front of her and lifted her face to his. She simply nodded and he leaned and kissed her. They had been kissing on the lips all day, mostly because it was expected of them, but it had been only superficial. Nevertheless, Sam had felt very tingly on every occasion. This time, she thought she would liquefy. The kiss was deep and passionate. She answered with all she had. "Yeah, we're going to work it out," Daniel said breaking the kiss. Sam was about to object to his attitude when he added, "We just need some more practice. What do you think? Was that okay at least? Do you want to practice some more now? If we have time, I'm not feeling tired at all tonight."

"Yes," she interrupted him. "Let's try. Let's keep on practicing. We'll get it right eventually." She smiled inwardly and grabbed his face with both hands. "Let's keep on practicing."

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	8. Chapter 8

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 8**

On Thursday morning Sam took Cassie shopping. Because of the wedding, the new couple had been given time off until the following Monday. They told Cassie that after so many years of friendship and after having been living together, they did not plan on a honeymoon. They preferred to spend time with her as long as she could stay in Colorado.

All morning long Cassie tried to find out little bits of information about their relationship. Sam worked around the truth as best as she could. She did not want to lie to her young friend, but she could not tell her the whole story either.

Every time Cassie was trying something on or searching in a different section of a store, Sam's mind invariably went to the night before. She had not really slept at all. She had too much in her mind to even close her eyes. The problem was their _Practice make-out session,_ as she had named it for future reference, or as Daniel had put it –taking advantage of his linguistic ability– _Precalentamiento_. She had looked for the word in the Spanish dictionary this morning and found it meant _warm-ups_. She had been surprised that he had chosen a sports-related term, but she had not failed to notice the multiple possible interpretations of the word. Although Daniel blushed for many reasons, he was never scared of using words. They were his best weapon.

However, her main concern was not as much its name, as how deeply she had enjoyed it. She was certain that over the years she had not seen Daniel as a sexual being. She had always put Jack under that category. She seemed to remember that she had felt Daniel's masculinity very strongly the day she met him. She already admired him before the trip and one look at him on Abydos had sent her imagination flying. The whole Sha're tragedy had stopped those feelings very fast.

The night before it had been different. She had realized to what extent she had been hoping to become Daniel's wife in the whole sense of the word. Compared to what she saw in Daniel now, Jack was as attractive as… a penguin, she had concluded.

Daniel had taken the _warm-up_ experience half-seriously –that kind of kiss had to be serious– and half- jokingly, laughing and making funny comments when things started to get out of hand. He had explained the need of _precalentar_ in order to avoid terrible awkwardness at the time of trying conception. According to his plan, they needed to get used to each other's touch.

Cassie interrupted her thoughts again. She had purchased the final item of her list and they could head home to have lunch with Daniel.

After Cassie left on Saturday afternoon, things went back to normal. Daniel reclaimed the guestroom and they stopped the _practice sessions_. Sam could have regretted it if she had not feeling awful on account of the last medicine cocktails she had been taking. She had also been charting her temperature and many other responses of her body. The sicker she felt, the sicker Daniel got. He had high fevers almost daily, horrible headaches, and, she believed but could not prove, brief episodes of blindness. He stoically suffered it all, hiding his symptoms as bests as possible, without one complaint, and managing the SGC Linguistics and Anthropology Departments as efficiently as ever. He even had a major role in a couple of discoveries that further enhanced their fighting capacity against the Ori and the remaining Goa'uld System Lords.

Dr. Lam constantly insisted that what he needed was a hiatus in his job, to take time with Sam and enjoy their marriage. Daniel vehemently refused and affirmed that he was going to work until the day he dropped dead. Carolyn was certain that was where his path was inexorably leading him, so she decided to talk some sense into him. Roughly two weeks after the wedding, she called Daniel to her office.

"Dr. Jackson," she started vehemently. "I've called you today because there are certain aspects of your condition that I'd like to discuss with you." He did not answer or show any emotion, so she continued. "In the last weeks we've proven beyond any doubt the correlation between your mental state and mood, and your symptoms. It's been clear that excessive worry, depression, or any other negative emotion, have only exacerbated your symptoms. On the other hand, a light mood, or simply being in good spirits, has made your symptoms almost disappear. Yet, we both know that situation has only been concealing the real issue at stake here. Your tumor has not ceased growing. Its growth is causing compression in the areas of your brain that surround it. The compression in turn causes cerebral edema; you understand, your brain is swelling…" Daniel nodded and she carried on. "Subsequently, the swelling increases the intracranial pressure and-"

"And my brain cells are dying by the minute. They can't regenerate, so," he took a deep breath and finished, "it can only get worse."

She could see the effort Daniel was putting into being objective about his situation. "I just want you to be warned. The inflammation of your brain will bring out more symptoms. The headaches will be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Then, the second most common occurrence in these cases, the seizures, with involuntary loss of muscle control, consciousness, and/or sensation." Daniel kept patiently paying attention with no signs of distress. "I know you've had vision problems, even though you haven't officially reported them," he still did not move a muscle, "and you have probably experienced weakness of the arms and/or legs. Lastly, you will most likely have problems with recent memory and inability to concentrate."

"I understand," he finally replied.

"Then, if you truly understand, you should be doing something better with the time you have left." He looked at her with an unreadable expression and she decided to play all her cards. "You've already saved this world, and others, many times, Dr. Jackson. It's time to save yourself. Take advantage of this chance. Most men in this facility die without even acknowledging their time has come. Stop giving and take a little. Take time with your wife, with your friends, with your favorite book if it makes you happy. You've done your job and you've done it well. History will undoubtedly recognize your contribution." She stood up and walked to Daniel; she indicated him to stand up and opened the door. "Go and be happy, please. You deserve it more than anyone else I know."

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	9. Chapter 9

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 9**

Exactly four weeks after Sam had started the new treatment, Dr. Brightman and her team concluded that she would probably have a chance of conceiving during that week. On Monday morning, they gave Sam all the monitoring equipment necessary to track her ovulation and they sent her and Daniel home for the rest of the week.

She was a nervous wreck. She charted and charted until exhaustion. Daniel was feeling horribly sick himself, but thought it was his responsibility to support Sam. Dr. Lam's words from the previous Friday were still resonating in his head. He knew what he _had_ to do, but he had not decided yet whether to do what he really _wanted_.

Right after dinner he told Sam, "Why don't you go and rest for a while, I'll take care of the dishes."

"No way", Sam replied. "You fixed lunch and dinner. They were both delicious meals and you spent a good amount of time working on them. It's only fair that at least I clean up."

"Let's do it together," Daniel countered. "It will be faster. I want to talk with you before you go to bed."

"Okay," she said intrigued. As always her insecurities came rolling down and she started dreading the talk. Perhaps Daniel did not want the baby after all. Maybe he had changed his mind and this was his last chance to bail out.

As soon as they had picked up the dishes from the table, filled the dishwasher up, and taken care of the trash, she put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Why don't we go to my bedroom, I need to use the restroom to do one more check and I'll be ready to talk in a minute." She actually wanted to be there to be able to lie down and cry the instant Daniel left her after his talk. She did not think it would be very dignifying to run around the house trying to contain her tears.

"That's fine. I'll go get changed and I'll meet you there in five."

Sam shakily went to her restroom and filled some more spaces in her chart. "Better, but still not good enough," she thought. Then she went back to her room and opened her dresser to get a nightgown. She hesitated a little. Would she wear something revealing and sexy to try and seduce Daniel and make him change his mind? No; she could not do that to him. What about something old and comfortable? Not that either; at least she wanted Daniel to see her beautiful. She finally chose a long and soft nightgown, light, comfortable, and very feminine. She changed her clothes, sat on the edge of her bed, and waited.

Daniel entered the room a few minutes later. He was wearing a pair of very stylish blue silk pajamas. It freaked her out. When with her, he usually wore sweatpants and a T-shirt. This was going to be really serious.

"Are you feeling all right?" he said as soon as he saw her pale face.

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's get done with it," she answered a tad harshly.

"Eh? Oh, you mean the talk. Okay. I don't know how to start…"

"You've never had a problem with telling people what you think, Daniel. Just do it. I'm a grown up girl; I can take it."

He looked at her confused. He had no idea what she was talking about. She could not know what he was going to ask her. "All right," he started, "I'd like us to make love tonight."

"What!" she blurted out. This was too disconcerting. She had not expected anything of the sort.

He immediately changed his attitude and rushed to say, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I offended you. I know it's not the right time for the baby yet, but I thought-"

"No, Daniel, that's not what I meant. Stop; don't apologize," she interrupted him while she was getting closer to hold his hands. He quieted expectantly. "If that's what you really want, I would love to do it. I couldn't be offended."

"I don't want you to do it because it's what I want. Let's be clear. The reason why I'd like for this to happen tonight is quite simple. You and I have been best friends for more than nine years now. We have shared all kinds of experiences, the best and the worst. I thought I couldn't love you anymore than I did a year ago, but, in these last weeks, I've reached a level of connection with you that I didn't think possible." She nodded her head in assent. "The day I was married to Sha're, I wasn't in love with her. I liked her, I cared a great deal for her, and I was physically attracted to her, very attracted," he smiled, looking down; Sam lowered her head to hide the jealousy that briefly hit her, "but the love took longer to come. I _learned_ to love her." He paused for a second and searched her eyes. "With you it's been different." She finally looked back at him. "I admired you since the day I met you. The experiences that we went through with SG-1 created a bond between us, actually, between the four of us, that few people get to achieve in their lives. On top of that, there was the compatibility between you and me, our ability to think in the same wavelength and complement each other. Year after year, the layers of our connection have been strengthening. Now, there's one more layer, the one I spent all these years trying to bar from my mind." Sam's eyes were widening in anticipation. "I desire you. I desire to make you feel how important you are to me and how deeply I love you."

Sam leaned closer to him, hugged him tightly, and sobbed over his shoulder. "Oh, Daniel!" she exclaimed.

Daniel was confused. Was she happy or upset? He tried to be clearer and check her next reaction. "I know there's physical chemistry between us. I started the _warm-up_ sessions to try and find out. Every time it got harder for me to stop and I sensed you would have gone on, too." She still did not change her position or stop the soft sobbing, so he kept on going. "I want us to make love tonight for ourselves, not just for the baby. The baby is very important for me, too, but I want us to be one before we try to be three." He was about to continue with his argument when she raised her head to look at him. Her eyes were still full of tears.

"Ah, I should have never encouraged you to talk." He looked puzzled and she smiled. "Stop yapping and start the action. Show me how much you love me. I'll show you, too." She held his face in her hands and got him closer to her. "Let's warm up until it's boiling," she whispered with a smile and kissed him.

There was not much sleeping that night. Sam and Daniel were both aware that time was running out and neither knew if Daniel would be alive the next time they had a chance to spend time together. Even if he was alive, chances were he was not going to remain healthy enough for long.

Early in the morning Sam was still awake. She could not stop thinking what she had been missing all those years. Their chemistry had been so remarkable that she could barely believe it. Moreover, if she had thought that she was a modern woman, acquainted with and skilled in effective sexual practices, she had not accounted for Daniel's knowledge –and mastery– of other cultures' amatory customs. He had taken her to extraordinary levels of bliss. Undoubtedly, the decisive factor in how much she had enjoyed the new experiences was that it had happened with Daniel, the same Daniel with whom she had gone through so much, the same Daniel that had been her strength in so many occasions, the same Daniel that she was going to lose soon, again.

"What are you thinking?" Daniel asked while she was resting with her head on his chest.

"Of you," Sam answered softly caressing the arm that was not holding her.

"What about me?"

"How well I know you and how much there's still to get to know. I wish I had a hundred years more to be with you." She lifted her head towards his face and traced his lips with her fingertips. "You're one amazing man, Dr. Jackson," she told him with a smile on her face.

"Not as amazing as you," he replied.

"No, listen to me," Sam interrupted him. She sat up and looked at him. "I've tried to tell you before, but you couldn't hear me."

"What? When?" He sat up, too, facing her.

"After Kelowna. I tried to help you-"

"I know. Thank you."

"No, listen. It's important. I should have gone to see you before, but I was so scared… I kept thinking that if I didn't tell you good-bye, you wouldn't die. I waited until it was too late. I don't want to repeat my mistake."

"Sam…"

"Listen, Daniel. That day –I remember it very well–, when I went to talk to you, I couldn't even hold your hand. Besides, you had been given so many sedatives and painkillers that-"

"I know what you told me, Sam. I remember, too. You said that I have _an effect_ on people, that the way I look at things, it had changed you, too; that you saw what really mattered."

"You heard!"

"Yes. It was very important to me. I was doubting myself very deeply and your words encouraged me. Oma pointed out that the people closest to me had been trying to tell me that I had made a difference."

"You did."

"I still don't know for certain, Sam, but I know I've tried. In any case, I appreciate what you were trying to do. Those words were in my mind very often, especially whenever I felt more and more helpless possessing all that power and not being able to help anyone."

"I said something else, Daniel. I wondered why we wait to tell people how we really feel, and then I prayed that you always knew. Today, I'm going to make sure that you know. I love you, Daniel Jackson," she said slowly, "I didn't know it back then as clearly as I know it now. I've never loved anyone with this intensity of feelings; I didn't think it was possible. What we shared last night, I agree with you, was just another dimension of this… _thing_ between us."

"This _connection_, as I call it," Daniel helped.

"Yes, this _connection_," Sam approved.

Daniel raised his hand and caressed her face. "Let me make love to you one more time."

"I'm all yours."

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	10. Chapter 10

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 10**

When they finally got up in the afternoon, Sam took a quick shower and renewed her efforts with the temperature taking and the charting of her body's reactions to the drugs. The readings were worse than before and she started to lose hope. She felt tempted to call Dr. Brightman, but she had advised her to be patient and wait. Hence, she waited, and waited, and waited some more. The whole week went and passed without it getting any better. On Monday morning, she went back to the Infirmary, feeling defeated. The medical team decided to run some tests to try to find out what had gone wrong.

Right after 11:00 she was called urgently to Dr. Lam's office. She fretted, thinking they had found something bad in her tests. Carolyn was waiting for her outside the Infirmary. She started talking without preambles.

"Daniel has had a little accident."

"Is he all right?" Sam asked almost in tears.

"Not exactly." As soon as she saw Sam's fear in her eyes, she added, "He's alive. He had been working with Cameron and they were going down the stairs when he fell."

"Why? Was he dizzy? Did it have to do with his tumor?" Sam just wanted to go inside to see him, but she needed to know before facing him.

"Yes. He fell because he experienced a sudden loss of his sight. He's blind, Sam. We don't know if he's going to recover his vision. He's taking it stoically, as always. He hasn't complained about it, just about not been allowed to go back to work. I'm certain that this is _not_ the first time that it has happened and, also, that he's been having many of the other symptoms we had foreseen. This time is different; I don't believe any episode lasted this long. It could be permanent."

Sam sobbed softly. She put a hand against the wall to support herself. "He's dying, right? Really dying now," she told herself more than asked.

"Yes, he is, and he knows it, Sam. He's trying to be strong for you. Be strong for him."

"I will," Sam asserted and slowly entered the room.

The day passed slowly. Daniel's injuries were not serious but he had to stay in the Infirmary overnight for observation. Sam stayed with him. She was surprised at his ability to do things without being able to see. She was convinced that he had been practicing beforehand.

Jack promised to visit the following day and SG-1 requested stand down.

Near midday on Tuesday, Dr. Brightman called Sam to her office and showed her a series of lab results.

"We've found out what's wrong with your charts, Sam. You probably won't ovulate for at least ten more months…" Sam's face immediately showed her disappointment, "If we're lucky," the young doctor added with a smile. "You're pregnant, Sam. We did it!"

Sam stood up, still unbelieving. "You're sure?"

"Of course we're sure. Completely certain."

Sam approached her and hugged her briefly. "Thank you," she said. "I have to tell Daniel," and she run out of the office.

That night the original members of SG-1 plus Cameron Mitchell went out to dinner to celebrate the pregnancy. Daniel ordered gnocchi, so that he would not have to cut meat or deal with something more complicated, but still Sam offered to help him by feeding him. Despite the fact that Jack expected him to get upset and complain about how they treated him as a child, Daniel accepted the offer with a smile. Jack saw it as a sign of resignation and feared Daniel had stopped fighting. He decided to stay an extra day in Colorado and spend it giving his friend a pep talk. He could not stop thinking how fragile and vulnerable he looked, quiet and pensive most of the time, when before he had used to be the most passionate talker in their little get-togethers. The fact that he was not wearing his glasses, for obvious reasons, did not help. Daniel looked young, innocent, and deeply hurt, and made him recall the time when they had just come back from Abydos.

After dinner they stopped at an ice-cream parlor for dessert. While the others were ordering at the counter, Cameron sat near Daniel and said almost in a whisper, "I need to talk to you, Jackson."

"Okay."

"Not now. I will tell Sam that I need you to help me with a detail in a translation and I'll go with both of you in her car. Then I'll catch a taxi home."

"Why all the secrecy?"

"Later," Cam said quickly as their friends approached.

Almost two hours later, Daniel and the colonel sat in the little room on top of the garage that served as Daniel's office.

"All right. Sam can't hear us in here. What's going on?" Daniel started.

"Well… There's something I did not put in my report about the last mission of SG-1."

"Really? That's interesting. Why?"

"She asked me not to do it."

"She asked you? Who?"

"Lya."

"Lya, as in Nox Lya?" Daniel asked with genuine surprise.

"Yeah, that Lya," Cam assented.

"Well, that's astonishing. What was she doing there?"

"She said she was there waiting for me," Cam started and then stopped Daniel from interrupting him by putting his hand on his arm. "She said that she couldn't come to Earth, but she needed to get something to you. She knew we had been going on missions together… before this," he made a gesture and then remembered that Daniel would not see it.

"Keep on going, please," Daniel said.

"Okay. She made me swear to secrecy and asked me to give you this." He grabbed one of Daniel's hands, turned it palm up and put a little object in it. "She said you'd remember how to use it when the time came. She also said that she had hope for us because of you."

Cam looked at the object on Daniel's hand one more time. It was intricately decorated and shaped like a small sun. It was almost flat at the edges but the center was raised, with a clear crystal in it. Daniel closed his hand and felt the object. He did not say anything for a little while and Cam did not push him. Then, Daniel put the object in one of his pockets and told Cam, "Thank you. I appreciate you doing this and especially not telling anyone. Whatever happens in the next days, don't say anything about it or how you got it, okay? It's very important."

"So, you know what it is? What's going to happen? What do you mean?" Cam started and Daniel stopped him.

"I can't tell you, Mitchell. It's better this way. Please, just don't say anything."

"Fine. I won't. I trust that you know what you're doing."

"I do," Daniel replied with confidence and then, changing the tone of his voice, he added, "There's something I want to ask you, Cameron."

"Anything, man," Cam answered.

"I need you to talk to Woolsey." Cam's face showed his astonishment. Daniel sensed it in the silence. "Yeah, I know, but I was very ugly to him when he tried to apologize after what happened with Khalek. I wrote a letter to explain why and apologize myself."

"He kind of deserved it, didn't he? I mean, not the apology, but-" Cam started half-seriously.

"He was wrong, but, still, I should have understood his position, too. I was very mad at myself because I wanted the threat that Khalek represented eliminated. I didn't want to kill him, but I couldn't come up with a better solution and that scared and upset me."

"You ask too much of yourself, Jackson," Cam whispered.

"Probably not more than you ask of yourself," Daniel smiled. "This is the letter." He took an envelope from one of his pockets and gave it to him. "I've had it for days, but everything has been so crazy..."

"I understand. Don't worry. I'll make sure that he gets it."

He got up and Daniel did, too. "Thanks," he said simply. They both walked down the stairs. Sam was preparing coffee in the kitchen. Cam helped Daniel sit down on one of the stools and said his goodnights. Sam accompanied him to the door and came back for Daniel.

"Are you ready to go to bed, Daniel?" she asked.

"Let's go to the living-room for a little while," he proposed.

"Sure," she agreed and tried to hold his hand.

"It's better if I hold your arm," he said while grabbing her near the wrist. "That way, I can follow you."

She accepted the change and they walked slowly. Then Daniel asked her to put on a CD with some soft rock songs in it. She was surprised.

"I want to dance with you tonight," Daniel explained. "Have you noticed that we've never danced alone, as a couple? We've only done it in the SGC parties and the circumstances were different."

"You're right!" She exclaimed. "I think it's a great idea. Let me dim the lights; it will be more romantic-" she stopped as she suddenly remembered about Daniel's blindness. "I'm sorry," she added putting her arms around his neck while he held her by the waist.

"Don't worry, Sam. It's all right." He tightened the embrace closing the distance between them as they danced slowly. "I just want to hold you."

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	11. Chapter 11

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 11**

_A.N. This story was posted, complete with the same ending that you will see soon, a long time ago, probably December of 2005, in this website. A short while ago, I received a message that said that there were similarities between this story and another one written by an author of this same site. I just want to reply to that pointing to the fact that this story has been here much longer than the other one, complete before the other one was even written, therefore it cannot have "taken" ideas from the other. It was also posted before December in three other websites and it has been there all along. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy! _

The next morning, Sam woke up feeling cold. Daniel was spooned behind her and his left arm was on her waist. She raised her hand to touch him and he felt cold. She jumped off the bed and leaned over Daniel. She was freaking out. He could not be dead. He just could not, she kept repeating herself. She pushed him back and checked his pulse. There it was, very faint, but a pulse nonetheless. She grabbed the phone and called Carolyn. Very soon they were both at the SGC Infirmary. After a long wait, Dr. Lam finally came out to the waiting area were Sam was with Jack, Teal'c, and Cam.

"He's in a coma. There's no reactivity or perceptivity at all. We've tried several methods to arouse him to consciousness, but to no avail. He's in a deep stage of coma and I'm afraid it was self-induced."

"What do you mean?" Jack interrupted.

"We found a small device in his hand. There were some traces of a liquid surrounding it and we analyzed them. It's not like anything we've ever seen before. It's a very potent sedative that has put him almost in a vegetative state. His body is functioning at the lowest level possible, almost as when an animal enters a period of deep hibernation. We know that scientists in Washington have induced a hibernation-like state in mice by injecting them with hydrogen sulfide, but this is completely different."

"Why would he do that?" Sam asked even if she did not expect an answer. She did not think any of them would know why.

"What can be done?" Jack asked, as always looking at the practical angle.

"We don't know yet. There are characteristics of his state that have us perplexed."

"Such as…" Jack encouraged her.

"As I said, nearly all his body activities are reduced to a minimum; he has slowed his metabolism and his breathing rate to very low levels. His temperature has dropped drastically." Sam shivered remembering his cold hands. Dr. Lam kept on going. "He'll continue digesting and eliminating foods, if we feed him. If we don't, he'll have to use the fat reserves of his body and, as most of you who train with him must be aware, there's not much of that."

Jack rubbed his forehead with his hand and sat down, feeling overwhelmed. Sam and Teal'c did not move. Cam, consumed by guilt over having given him the little sun, asked, "Do you think there's anything positive to this?"

"Yes, I do. I trust that Daniel had a very good reason for doing this and that he knew exactly what he was doing. Besides that, there's the fact that his brain activity is proportionally inverse to that of the rest of his body."

"His brain activity is increasing at the same time that the rest of his body's is decreasing." Teal'c stated from his corner.

"More or less that. It shouldn't be possible, but that's what's going on. It defies everything I have learned," Carolyn said softly. "His brain activity has some common patterns with what we saw in Khalek's case."

"Do you think he's preparing to ascend?" Jack broke in with a glint of hope.

"No," Sam said sadly. "We talked about it. He said he wouldn't do it again, that he was tired of dying…" She could not continue talking and had to cover her eyes, as she was not able to stop her tears. In an uncharacteristic move, Teal'c approached her and turned her so that she would lean on his chest while she cried. Nobody said a word.

"We'll have to wait and see," Dr. Lam finally said. "We have placed a feeding catheter and hooked him to other equipment that we believe would help him, even though at this time he's still doing fine by himself."

She went back inside his room and slowly all of his friends followed.

Ten days later, General Landry called everybody in the briefing room to silence and asked Dr. Lam to start.

"These are the results of the SPECTs," she explained as she began passing around a series of prints. When she noticed the questioning looks of some of the people sitting at the table, she clarified, "It's a type of tomography, a three-dimensional image of the active regions of the brain. It's more detailed and has a higher degree of resolution than other tomographies. It shows deeper structures."

"And?" Jack cut in.

"It tells us the same as the other tests. We've tried everything we have: EEG, MRI, Cat Scans, PET Scans, and even MRS." Nobody even blinked; she thought they just looked lost. "What I mean is that, short of a biopsy, we have tested him in any way known to us, and every time the results are the same."

"They are…" Jack pushed again feeling more and more frustrated.

"His brain has a level of activity that's completely incompatible with the functioning level of the rest of his body. There's an unprecedented increase in the number of synaptic connections and consequently a rapid rise in glucose uptake." She started speaking fast until the others' faces slowed her down. "It signifies that his brain is working overtime while his body has completely slowed down."

"We knew that already," Jack interrupted one more time and this time Landry gave him an impatient look.

"I know. It has even increased since I told you. What I haven't told you yet is that while we were studying the patterns of electrical activity of his brain we made more extraordinary findings. This area in pale blue here," she said while pointing at a colorful image, "is the tumor. It was growing rapidly, very aggressively, before the coma, but it has almost stopped its growth in the last ten days. Fortunately, it hasn't invaded other tissues. In this MRI you can distinguish the tumor from the edema it's causing by the use of oxygen-" she stopped for a second and sat back. "There are changes in the anatomy and the chemical characteristics of the tumor. I think Daniel's body is fighting it."

"Do you believe that's the reason why Dr. Jackson put himself in a coma?" General Hammond asked. Even though he had retired, Daniel's situation had brought him back to the SGC.

"Yes, I do believe it. There's no other explanation," Carolyn conceded. "We still don't know how he's doing it, but it's happening before our eyes."

"Do the drugs that were in the device have anything to do with it?" Cam wanted to know.

"No. Those drugs just induced the coma. They haven't shown any other capabilities. The rest is all of Daniel's making."

"What will happen if he _wins_ the battle with the tumor?" Jack inquired.

"We don't know. Most of his symptoms are caused by the sheer size of the tumor and the space that it occupies. If that goes away… His blindness, for example, is a product of the pressure that the tumor is exerting on the Optic Nerve. It's been the case before, in other subjects, that, when the pressure was relieved, there was a dramatic return of vision, but all cases vary."

"Is this ability that DanielJackson has developed in any way similar to Khalek's healing ability?" Teal'c asked. "He has most clearly shown some of his advanced brain function."

"We don't have enough data to compare them. Though Khalek was a genetic hybrid, he was significantly more evolved than we are. Probably he was supposed to become an Ancient, a _created_ one, but an Ancient nonetheless, with all the capabilities that it implies. We know Daniel has ascended twice and that he has retained his own memories, at least, the second time around. Maybe more. If he can tap into any of his memories from when he was an ascended being, then, perhaps, this is all a result of that knowledge. Still, there's no way to prove it," Carolyn finished.

"Anything else you can tell us?" General Landry asked his daughter.

"Well, we know for certain that the destruction of even small areas of the brain can have devastating consequences. As you know, the idea that we use only a part of our brains is a myth. Many experiments have shown how almost every area shows activity while performing diverse tasks. Not all at the same time, but different ones per task. The point is that the edema, the swelling, in Daniel's brain is killing cells, every minute. Before the coma started we noticed that the function of the most affected brain areas was being taken over by the surrounding tissue, to compensate for the loss. It showed the amazing capacity of the human brain to rewire and reorganize itself." She stopped, not sure of how to continue.

"But…" Jack said while gesturing with his hand for her to continue. "I can hear a _but_ coming."

"But after the coma started, we believe, even though we're not completely certain-"

"For cryin' out loud! What?" He screamed.

"When nervous tissue dies," she said calmly, defiantly, "it doesn't grow back; the damage is permanent, irreversible, but Daniel's brain cells appear to be reproducing in order to attain the original amount."

"That's not possible," Sam spoke for the first time.

"I know."

They all sat back and considered what had been discussed for a moment. Then, General Landry dismissed the meeting and everybody left the room.

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	12. Chapter 12

**One More Try** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**One More Try**

**Chapter 12**

The following weeks passed slowly for Sam. Morning sickness −more appropriately all-day sickness− had a heavy toll on her daily routine. She spent most of her time in her laboratory or in the VIP room Landry had assigned to her. She felt unwilling to increase the distance between her and Daniel and unable to spend much time in a house that now felt desolate. Every day, she visited Daniel and talked to him about the pregnancy and her plans for the future of their child. She was careful to include Daniel in any scenario she painted through her words. He never showed any signs of awareness.

At the beginning of the coma, she had harbored some hope that Daniel's tumor would slowly decrease in size until it disappeared, but as many days passed and the tumor's size did not vary in any way, she began to lose hope. She started preparing herself for the inevitable death that was getting more certain with every hour. Dr Lam could only report two significant facts about her patient's condition: the uninterrupted chemical and anatomical changes of the tumor and the continuous regeneration of neurons as the swelling in the brain slowly decreased.

After almost three weeks of no variations in his state, one morning, Daniel showed symptoms of respiratory distress and had to be intubated. For Sam, Daniel's need for artificial ventilation was a clear sign of the downward path of his health. She called their closest friends and made them aware of the situation.

In the evening, Daniel's breathing improved enough for the tube to be removed from his respiratory tract. Sam was sitting by his side, talking with Teal'c, when all the monitors started beeping crazily. A nurse approached and yelled, "Code blue!" Seconds later, Carolyn and a horde of infirmary personnel pushed Sam and Teal'c away from Daniel and started working frantically on him.

Sam heard a succession of diagnosis and commands that made her dizzy. Someone started with "Respiratory arrest!" and that prompted a new intubation. While they were maneuvering with the tube, Carolyn yelled "There's heart arrest, people; start cardiac massage," and seconds later she added "Defibrillate!" Someone came closer with a cart and gave the paddles to the doctor. "Two hundred!" she said right before applying them on Daniel's chest and discharging the electric shock. She stood still for a second checking the results, and immediately followed with "Epinephrine, 1 mg."

Teal'c held Sam because she seemed about to faint. Cam entered the room running, followed closely by Hank Landry. Carolyn was still trying; "Three hundred!" she said and applied the paddles again. When nothing happened, she added, "Three hundred and sixty!" She was about to lower the device when the monitors' beeping changed rhythm and everybody seemed to relax. "We have a steady rhythm," the doctor said while listening through her stethoscope. Almost immediately Daniel raised a hand and tried to take the tube from his throat. "Wow!" Carolyn said, startled. "That has never happened before. Daniel! Listen to me. Don't touch that. You will hurt yourself. We'll help you. Take it easy."

Daniel lowered his hand and opened his eyes slowly, blinking rapidly. Sam got closer and held his hand. "Hello, sleepyhead," she told him affectionately.

Dr. Lam drew his attention and said, "Do you know where you are, Daniel?" he nodded slightly. "All right. In order for me to take this out, I need your help;" she touched the tube. "You know the drill; take a deep breath… and exhale!" she finished as she took the tube out of him.

He tried to talk, but found it difficult. He cleared his throat and tried again, "What's just happened?" he asked with a raspy voice.

"We'll talk about it soon. Fist I need everybody out. We have to run some tests on you to figure out exactly what happened," she answered. Everybody approached and said something encouraging to Daniel; then they left the room. Sam leaned and kissed his forehead, "I'll be back soon, okay?"

Daniel nodded and she left, too.

Later that day, Carolyn Lam went to talk to her father.

"So?" General Landry asked.

"As I said, the tumor is gone," his daughter answered. "We can't explain how. Without biopsies we had no means of assessing exactly what were the changes that it suffered in the last weeks. Besides, we couldn't keep Dr. Jackson inside the MRI scanner permanently. The abnormal growth seems to have been reabsorbed. That's all I can tell you."

"What about his health? Has he suffered any ill effects?"

"Not that we can detect. He appears to be in perfect health, just as before the tumor was ever there."

They were both in silence, meditating on the events of the precedent weeks, when Sergeant Harriman entered the room right after knocking.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said, "but you asked me to tell you when everything was ready."

"Well, is it ready?"

"Yes, sir. As soon as General O'Neill gets here we can start the party."

"When is Jack going to arrive?" Landry asked then.

"He's on his way from the airport, sir."

"Where are Jackson and Carter?"

"With Dr. Brightman," Carolyn answered this time. "They believe Colonel Mitchell is going to drive them home afterwards."

"Great!" Landry exclaimed with a content smile. "As long as they don't suspect anything... Did anyone help you, Walter? Organizing a celebration like this in less than a day seems like a heavy task."

"Oh, don't worry, general. I had more helpers than necessary. Everybody wanted to participate. Dr. Jackson has helped too many people around here and, besides that, he has always been respectful and considerate with everyone. We believe he deserves this," Harriman finished.

"That's good. Go ahead and do what you have to do. I don't want everything to fall to pieces because I kept you here," Landry said with a smile.

"That won't happen, sir. Colonel Ferretti has everything under control." He smiled to the general and the doctor and left the room.

In a small room in the Infirmary, Sam waited for Dr. Brightman to come back. Instead, Daniel opened the door. "Hey," he said getting closer to kiss her forehead. "They let me go," he smiled, "after they had poked so many holes on me that you could use me as a watering can."

"It doesn't matter. As long as you're here −and healthy−, they can poke you as much as they want." She said. He sat by her side, still smiling, and she got serious. "You didn't tell me anything, before you did… that," she hesitated.

"I didn't know if it was going to work, Sam. As I told Dr. Lam, I wasn't capable of healing myself while conscious. I had the hope that the memories were there, but I needed to be in a different state of consciousness. I can't really explain much more."

"It doesn't matter either. As long as you're here…" she repeated. "I'm only going to ask one more thing. I need you to do something with me."

"Oh, and what's that?" he asked lovingly.

"I'd like you to go to church with me this Sunday. Only this one time," she added when she saw doubt in his face. "I haven't been there much myself in many years," she confessed. "With all the things we've seen −and done− since this program started, I got used to rely only in my skills as a soldier and a scientist, and on those of the team as well. These weeks, when I had no hope of having you back, I remembered all the prayers my mother taught me. It was like having the baby inside me made me feel her closer to me. I have prayed so much for a miracle, Daniel, more than when we couldn't get pregnant. I got both miracles. I don't know how, but here you are and here's the baby," she touched her belly and he put his hand on top of hers. "I just want to say thank you."

Daniel smiled and said, "I'll be there, anywhere, whenever you need me."

Sam smiled, too, and hugged him. "Dr. Brightman is coming soon. She's going to do a sonogram to check on the baby," she told him.

"I know; that's why they let me out early. I had a shower and I came running."

Right then their doctor came in and started preparing Sam for the procedure. Daniel held Sam's hand.

"Okay, now that we're ready, let's look at this," she said pointing to the screen. "4D Ultrasound is the latest technology available for this," she commented.

"4D?" Daniel asked. "Four-dimensional?"

"Yes. It's a three-dimensional image plus a fourth dimension, time," Dr. Brightman explained.

"How does it work?" Sam asked this time.

"The 3-D image is constantly updated and it gives you the impression of _'live action'_. It's just one image after the other in very rapid succession." As she was talking a golden image appeared in the screen. "Oh. This is interesting…" She seemed lost in the images and Sam started to get nervous.

"Is there anything wrong? It's so small that I don't understand the image," Sam said with a small voice. Daniel was closer to the screen, but he had not released her hand. He tightened his grip encouragingly.

"No," the doctor said with a big smile. "There's nothing wrong. Actually… Remember that talk we had about the risks of using fertility drugs to help you, Sam?"

"About multiple pregnancies?" She suddenly realized the implications of what she was being told, but Daniel beat her to the point.

"Don't tell me we're having twins," he exclaimed full of hope and with a big grin.

"No, you're not having twins," Brightman said, and rapidly added, with an ever bigger smile, "just triplets."

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


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